Bubba Watson won't enter long-drive competition at PGA Championship

Bubba Watson leads the PGA Tour in driving distance at 313.6 yards.

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Saturday, August 02, 2014

This is like a young Michael Jordan skipping the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

The PGA Championship is going to hold a long-drive competition next week on the 10th hole during Tuesday’s practice round at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky., but long-hitting Bubba Watson won’t be participating, according to Golf Channel’s Jason Sobel.

“I’m not going to do it,” Watson told GolfChannel.com after his round.

He currently leads the PGA Tour with an average driving distance of 313.6 yards.

“I’m there to play golf, not to hit it far,” said the namesake of BubbaGolf. “I’ve got to practice. I’ve never been to the course. I don’t need to worry about a long drive on the 10th hole.”

For the long-drive competition, players will get one tee shot on the 463-yard par-4 10th hole and only drives that land in the fairway are eligible.

The players who hit the first-, second- and third-longest drives will receive charitable donations in the amounts of $25,000, $15,000 and $10,000, respectively. The top three players will also receive a replica of the money clip Jack Nicklaus won during the long drive competition at the 1963 PGA Championship.